Packaging device



July 28, 1959 J.VARMEL PACKAGING DEVICE Filed June 3, 1955 FIG. 7.

INVENTOR V JACK A/PMEZ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,895,775 PACKAGIG DEVICE Jack Anne], New York, NY. Application June 3, i955, seam No.512,918 11 Claims. (C1. 2t)665) My invention relates to packagingdevices and is particularly applicable to the packaging in "smallquantities of like sealed containers, as, for examplabeer cans.

It is an object of the invention to provide "improved means of thecharacter indicated, ch'aracterizedfparticularly by substantiallyreduced over-all cost of packaging. I I I g 'It is also an object torneet thefa'bove objects with a packaging arrangement in which thecontainers themselves form a structural part of the 'ultirnate paekage,in 1a manner such thatthe appearance of the goods is enhanced, that is,such that the goods are substantially exposed. l y l. 1

It is a further object'to achieve the above objects with a constructionminimizing consumption of packaging material and lending itself to theemployment 'of'sirnplifled machinery for application thereof to thegoods to be packaged. L l c It is a general object to meet the aboveobjects with aconstructi'on in whichirnaterial thickness may beoptiinized for individual stress requirements of the parts and yet inwhich there is ease ofinitial opening of the package and access tocontainers, saidconstruction furt'h erlending itself toduplex'asseiribly without requiring additional or complex machinery,

Other objects and various further features of'no've'lty and invention'will' become apparent or 'will occur to 'those skilled in the art from'areading of the following specification in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings. In said drawings, which 'show, for illustrativepurposes only, preferred forms of the invention:

Fig. l is a view'in perspectiveshowing a pluralityof like containersheld in packaged assembly by means incorporating features of theinvention; 7 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional viewin the plane 22 ofFig. 1;

Fig.3 is a fragmentary sectional view in the plane 33 of Fig. l; p

Fig. 4 is a flattened development or blank for a part of Fig. 1, priorto folding and assembly; 7

Fig. 5 is aperspective view of two parts or subassemblies for theunitary'package of'Fi'g. 1,shown just prior to final assembly;

Fig. 6 is a flattened develo' merit or blank similar to Fig. 4, butillustrating a'mod'ification; I I

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary'yiew'in perspective 'of an assembled packagingdevicentilizing the blank -of Fig.6; 7 Fig. 8 is a perspective view of'a' duple x 'packaging device of my invention;

Fig.9 is a perspective view'of another packaging device of my invention;and

Fig. 10 is. an enlarged sectional view 'in the plane "10-10 of Fig. 9. I

Briefly stated, my'inventionconter'nplates a disposable packaging cartonfor holding a plurality of 'containers of like proportions, as, forexample, a plurality of'beer cans stacked or clustered inaxiallyparallel'relabeer cans or tlie like.

ice

2 tion with their axes substantially in a common plane. In a preferredgeneral form, the packaging device cornpri'ses, for one or for both endsof the stacked assembly,

peripherally extending rim-engaging flange means engaging at least therims or chimes of both end cans in the stack (and preferably also anyintermediate cans of the stack), and a body panel 'overstands parts ofcorresponding ends of all containers in the stack and is joined at itsopposed sides to the peripherally "extending flange means.

In one form to be'described, the body panel is a separate part, complete'with side flanges; and the peripherally extending flange means is asecond part, comprising a continuous belt embracing all containers "andsecured to the side flanges of the body panel. In another form, theentire packaging device is cut integrally from a single piece of stock,so that the peripherally extending flange means comprises end strapsintegral with the side flanges of the bo'dypanel and projecting from"opposite ends thereof; such end straps thus in eifect joincorrespondingends of both flanges and at the same time peripherallyembrace the end rims or chiines infthe stack. Regardless of-the formemployed, I 'prefer'tliat the externally exposed portion of the flangemeans ll be essentially continuous and that the inner ipartth eo'f shallbe termed with additional snap a'ction rim-engaging means, poised tolock onto the chimes when assembled to "the containers.

Referring to Figs. :1 to 5 of the drawings, my invention is shown inapplication to the -packaged assembly of a plurality of like containers10-11- 12, such as The cans 10 1"1-- 1z are "sheen in axially parallelrelationship with their axes substantially i n a-commonplane,and-my'packaging device comprises a prea ss embled earton 1 3 which mabe slipped over and locked to the rims or chimes 14 of at least the endcans 1012, and preferably alsoto any intermedi- .ate can or cans 11. Aduplicate packaging -devic'emay, if desired, be provided for retainingthe other "ends of the cans in assembled relation and, when both cartons13--15 areapplied to the cans *1 01 1 1 2, there results a unitarystructure relyingfon the bodies of the cans themselves'to retainassembly.

Essentially, the:packagii1g carton 1'3 comprises a body panel 16 havingopposed elongated sides 17-- 1 8 with upturned or downturned flangemeans 19 at each said side 17--18. End straps 20-21 "eifectively connectcorresponding ends of both; flanges 19 and at the same time lockinglyembrace the rims or chimes of the end containers 10ll2. "In theformshown, the "carton 13 is formed of two pieces, namely, the body assemblyincluding panel 16 and flanges 19, and the end-strap assembly comprisinga continuous belt of which theend straps 2'0'21 formdntegrabparts. Theside-flanges 19 of the body assembly may be secured by interlockingchime-engaging j flanges 1 23-44; said flanges preferably extendsubstantially *the length of the side fianges 19 so as to perform astiffening or reinforcing function, and arebent inwardly and extendgenerally toward the plane of the body panel 16. Similar eontinu'ousflanges may be formed at the endstraps 20-21,-but-si-nce,- :in theformshown, these end straps 20 n are semi-circular,

I find it more convenient to cut-a plurality'ofwvedge slits,

defining a corresponding plurality of tabs or lugs 25-26 for the endstraps 29-21, respectively, said tabs 25-26 being also bent inwardly andtoward the plane of the body panel 16, as suggested in Fig. 2.Saidflanges 23-24 and lugs 25-26 preferably terminate short of saidplane of the body panel in order to receive and snap under adjacentchime edges 14, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

To secure the part of Fig. 4 into a form suitable for assembly to thepanel 13, the flanges 23-24 and lugs 25-26 should first be creased at 22and bent to the desired shape; the material may then be rolled andfastened as a continuous loop, shown best in Fig. 5. A staple 27 maysecure overlapping ends to define the continuous loop, and preferablythe stapling is accomplished at a location Where any unsightlincss ofthe staple may be hidden by one of the flanges 19 when assembled to thepanel 13.

I prefer that the outer continuous band part 28 of the retaining beltshall be of a size which will permit the folded flanges 23-24 and lugs25-26 safely to clear the maximum peripheral extent of the cluster ofcans -11-12, so that upon assembly to the containers 10-11-12, thechimes 14 may pilot on the inner surfaces of flanges 23-24 and lugs25-26. The normal resiliency of the paper or cardboard from whichcartons 13-15 are made will be such as to stress or load the lugs andflanges 23-24-25-26 inwardly (toward the containers 10-11-12), inreadiness to snap-lock when fully assembled. The packaged containerswill then be ruggedly interlocked and may withstand abuse, and theassembly cannot be taken apart except by breaking one of the end straps.This can ordinarily be done relatively easily by placing the fingersunder one of the side flanges 19, in the recesses between adjacent cans10-11 or 11-12, and by prying upward, as will be understood.

In the modification of Figs. 6 and 7, essentially the same containerpackage is defined from a single piece of material. Thus, body panel 13may be integrally joined to side flanges 19' and to internal rim orchimeengaging flanges 23'24; and end straps 20-21 may be formedintegrally with the flanges 19 at opposite ends of the panel 13. Endstraps 20'21' may integrally include means, such as projections 30-31,to overlap corresponding ends of flanges 23'-24 upon assembly, as bygluing or stapling at 32. Chime-engaging lugs 25-26' may be formed byslitting the end straps 20'-21. The finished assembly will have thegeneral appearance described in connection with Fig. 1. Essentially, theform of Figs. 6 and 7 represents savings in the handling of pluralparts, Whereas the form of Figs. 1 to 5 represents economies achieved byoptimizing the strength-to-cost factor of the subassembly materials forthe particular stresses required of the individual subassemblies.

In the arrangement of Fig. 8, I show how my basic container package isadaptable to other arrangements, accommodating larger numbers ofcontainers. The package of Fig. 8 represents a duplex arrangement of theassembly of Fig. 1. Six cans 10-11-12, 33-34-35 are accommodated in twogroups of three, each group being packaged as described for Fig. 1, andthe two groups being assembled to each other by gluing or otherwisesecuring along common edges represented by side flanges 19. The gluingor other securing operation may be performed before final assembly tothe cans, thus making panels 16-36 in a single carton for assembly tosix cans at once; alternatively, multiple-packaged containers as in Fig.1 may be glued to each other after assembly to the containers. For moreready portability, the body panels 16-36 of the separate containers foreach group may be perforated, pierced or otherwise formed, as suggestedby outlines 37-38, to define handle portions conveniently accessible tothe fingers for ripping out when needed, to the position 39.

quired for other forms of package.

In the arrangement of Figs. 9 and 10, I show a modification of theinvention for the packaged assembly,-

in end-to-end relation, of two containers 40-41 of similar cross-sectionand chime construction. The packaging device comprises merely a singlecontinuous collar 43, with inturned flanges or lugs 44-45 extending forsnap-action engagement with the rims or chimes 46-47 of adjacent ends ofthe cans ail-41. The arrangement of Figs. 9 and 10 will be understood tobe particularly attractive in the merchandizing of complementaryproducts as, for example, a container 443' of spaghetti sauce and acontainer 41 of Parmesan cheese, said containers being of diiferentvolumetric proportions, but of like cross-section.

It will be seen that I have described an inherently simple, inexpensive,and highly eflicient container-packaging construction, lending itself toextreme economy of disposable materials. The construction further lendsitself to ready preliminary assembly as a carton and to ready finalassembly to clusters of containers. The machinery required for allstages of assembly and fabrication is very materially simplified fromthat currently re- At the same time, the containers are exposed to themaximum so that the dress of the container dominates the appearance ofthe packaged containers. So fully exposed are the containers that, indisplaying the same at a store, a salesman can readily grasp all exposedcontainers and mnipulate the srne (while packaged), for optimum displayof the characteristic trade-mark or other dress of the goods. From theconsumers point of view, my packaged assembly has utility beyond theconvenience of portability,

in that, once the top carton 13 has been ripped off, the

remaining assembly (all cans secured by bottom panel 15) may be storedefliciently in a cluster in the refrigerator, and yet the cans may beeasily removed one by one, merely by tipping the can With respect to theassembly, thereby effectively peeling each can away from the remainingassembly.

The basic carton construction for any particular size is applicable tocontainers of any length, for a given cross section; thus, in the caseof beer cans, the conventional twelve-ounce can and the conventionalsixteen-ounce can may be just as readily accommodated by the same cartonconstructions. Regardless of Whether one employs the form of Figs. 1 to5 or the form of Figs. 6 and 7, there is substantially no wastage ofpaper or cardboard stock, and the carton may be made direct from bulksheet or roll stock in a continuously recycling high-speed dieouttingoperation immediately adjacent the point of assembly to the containerclusters.

While ordinarily not a matter of major consequence, it is a fact thatwhen a row of containers 10-11-12 is consolidated by my cartons 13-15,the chimes 14 of adjacent cans will either directly abut or they Willoverlap. In either case the same cartons 13-15 are equally effective tohold the assembly, but if the chimes are overlapped, the packagedassembly will not be perfectly flat, so that some objection might beraised as to the security of a large pile of assemblies as for multipledisplay. in a retail store. To offset this difliculty, I show in Fig. 1the provision of divider lugs 50-51 struck out of the body of panel 16and extending downwardly between chimes 14 of adjacent cans 10-11 and11-12, respectively. Packaged cans which have been divided in thismanner will always lie flat, and the chimes 14 WillllOt overlap. It willbe understood that lug-piloting means as disclosed in said copendingapplication may facilitate assembly of lugs 50-51 between adjacent canswhen the carton 13 or 15 is assembled to the cluster of cans 19-11-12.

While I have described the invention in detail for the preferred formsshown, it Will be understood that modifications may be made within thescope of the invention as described in the claims which follow:

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a carton for packaging a plurality oflike containers, comprising a body panel having opposed generallyparallel edges with upturned flanges, a first semicircular end strapbowed beyond one end of said panel and connecting corresponding ends ofsaid flanges, a second semicircular end strap bowed beyond the other endof said panel and connecting corresponding ends of said flanges, and asuccession of adjacent resiliently deflectable chime-engaging meanscarried by said end straps on the inside of the bowed portion thereofand projecting toward the plane of said panel for snap-action engagementwith and essentially continous end support of the chime of a containerpackaged by said carton.

2. In combination, two like rows of containers, each row containing aplurality of like containers orientedin axially parallel side-by-sideadjacency, the axes of said containers in each row being in a commonplane, and a preassembled packaging carton comprising for each said rowa panel covering parts of corresponding ends of all the containers ineach said row, and end straps joining correspondingends of both flangesand including snapaction'tab means formed out of the material of saidstraps and folded adjacent the inner surfaces of said end straps andengaging the rims of said containers, said cartons being secured to eachother in side-by-side adjacency at adjacent flanges of said adjacentcartons.

3. A device according to claim 2, in which similarly secured similarcartons engage the other ends of said containers. I

4. The combination of claim 2, in which said body panels are each formedwith perforations defining a handle element, said handle elements beingfolded from their respective body panels at adjacent locations, wherebythe multiple-row package may be carried by grasping the handle elementsof both rows.

5. A can package comprising a plurality of chimed cans in a row, a firstholder retaining one set of corresponding can ends, and a second holderretaining the opposite set of corresponding can ends, each said holdercomprising a closed band of paperboard or the like encircling said rowof cans adjacent the chimes at one end thereof, whereby two semicircularends of said band are defined between two parallel stretches thereof, aplurality of chime-engaging tabs formed out of the material of thesemicircular ends of said band and folded adjacent the inner surfaces ofsaid ends, the projecting ends of said tabs being in direct locatingengagement with chimes of said cans, whereby substantially contin uouschime-engaging support is obtained for said cans at said semicircularends, and a connecting panel permanently connecting said stretches andoverstanding parts of the adjacent chimed ends of all cans in said row.

6. A can package according to claim 5, in which candivider lugs arestruck out of the body of said panel at locations intermediate adjacentchimes of adjacent cans.

7. A carton for retaining a plurality of chimed cans in a row,comprising a closed band of paperboard or the like adapted to encircle arow of cans adjacent the chimes 6 at one end thereof, said bandcomprising two semicircular ends joined by opposed parallel stretches ofequal length, a connecting panel permanently connecting said stretchesin substantially the plane of the upper edges thereof, andchime-engaging tabs formed out of the material of said semicircular endsand folded adjacent the inner surfaces of said ends, said tabs beingfolded in the direction projecting toward said plane whereby said tabsmay provide substantially continuous end support for the end cans in therow.

8. A carton according to claim 7, in which said panel and semicircularends are formed from a single blank from the same stock, one end of eachsemicircular end being integrally joined with said panel, the other endof each semicircular end being permanently secured to said panel uponassembly of said carton.

9. A carton according to claim 7, in which said semicircular ends areformed from a single strip adapted to encircle all cans in the row, theends of said strip being permanently secured to each other, and in whichsaid panel is a separate piece having opposed parallel side flangespermanently secured to said strip intermediate the semicircular endsthereof.

10. A carton according to claim 7, in which said panel includes acarrying handle defined by perforations in' the body of said panel.

11. In combination, a plurality of like containers, each havingperipherally extending chimes at opposite ends and stacked in axiallyparallel side-by-side adjacency, the axes of said containers being in acommon plane, first and second like preassembled packaging cartons eachcomprising a panel extending at least partially over corresponding endsof all said containers and including elongated side flanges, strap meansjoining corresponding ends of both flanges and peripherally continuouslyengaging said containers at said corresponding ends thereof andincluding chime-engaging tap means formed out of the material of saidstrap means and folded adjacent the in ner surfaces of said strap meansand engaging the chimes at said corresponding ends, one carton beingassembled to first corresponding can ends and the other carton beingassembled to the opposite corresponding can ends, whereby both cartonshold the containers in packaged relationship.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,116,060 Damrow May 3, 1938 2,124,808 White et al July 26, 19382,290,969 King July 28, 1942 2,301,927 Brogden Nov. 17, 1942 2,527,478Gray Oct. 24, 1950 2,571,833 Chidsey Oct. 16, 1951 2,593,689 MitchellApr. 22, 1952 2,680,039 Burge June 1, 1954 2,687,231 Somers Aug. 24,1954 2,693,385 Cavalli et al. Nov. 2, 1954 2,727,674 Rous Dec. 20, 19552,738,871 Vander Lugt Mar. 20, 1956 2,764,284 Arneson Sept. 25, 1956

